By Andrew C. Carducci 1LT, AG, NYARNG - S1 Personnel 2-101 CAV (RSTA) 42nd Infantry Division:
In response to Hurricane Sandy, Governor Andrew Cuomo has activated National Guard troops from across the State, and Western New York National Guardsmen were no exception from this statewide activation.  More than 200 Troopers from the 2nd Squadron, 101st Cavalry of the 27th Infantry Brigade Combat Team have been mobilized to Brooklyn to aid in the relief efforts.  The 2-101 CAV, located in armories across Western and Central

A retractable-roof stadium seating 72,000 that can double as a convention center, plus a sports museum, hotel, retail and parking for 5,000 cars.  All for $1.4 billion.  That is the plan being floated by 'Greater Buffalo Sports and Entertainment Complex' as a new home for the Buffalo Bills on 167-acres of outer harbor land owned by the NFTA.  The Common Council will get a peak at the plans later today.  
The Bills organization is getting its first look at the proposal via this

"Mere philosophy will not satisfy us.  We cannot reach the goal by mere words alone.  Without practice, nothing can be achieved."  Swami Satchidananda, Yoga Sutras of Patanjali.  We cannot reach the goal without practice.  Sometimes the obvious is most difficult, depending on what your goal is, the practice can be damn near impossible.  What if your goal is to change the course of impoverished lives through the practice of yoga...on a global and local level?
That is no small task, but has been a long-time goal of Susan

An Urban Land Institute (ULI) Advisory Panel has some ideas on how to reuse a dead, full block downtown mall into a mixed-use center of activity.  Main Place Mall in Buffalo?  No, the former Rainbow Centre Shopping Mall in downtown Niagara Falls. 
One-third of the long-dead Rainbow Centre mall is back in use.  Niagara County Community College's new $26 million Niagara Falls Culinary Institute opened in September

When I listen to folks in cities below the first tier talk, I so often hear some variation of a story about people from out of town and exclaim about how great the place is saying, "I had no idea your city was this cool or had all this stuff." Or we hear about the person who moved there from New York, fell in love, and is now the city's biggest champion.
I think all of these should be taken with a grain of salt. 
First, how often do you visit someone's house and then make a disparaging comment about it to their face? My guess: never.

An Oktoberfest party is happening today at Més Que located at 1420 Hertel Avenue.  You don't have to drive to Ellicottville to celebrate, and we guarantee you'll have just as much fun. Party, celebrate and cheer for your favorite soccer (football) team! 
For every draft beer that's purchased, Més Que will donate $1 to the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation of Western New York. Wear your most creative Oktoberfest costume, and Best Male and Female Costume winners will take home a $25

Hauptman Woodward Medical Research Institute is known throughout the World for discovering medical breakthroughs in genetic research, making it the ideal venue once again for the 2012 "A Night to Shine", charity gala. The event is hosted by Suneel's Light, a local non-profit foundation with the sole mission of raising funds for research that will lead to the cure of Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (DMD), while increasing public awareness of the genetic disease. 
A Night to Shine, is the Foundation's annual fundraiser

The Preservation League of New York State announced three grants to Western New York organizations at a luncheon on Friday at the Buffalo Niagara Convention Center.  The lunch was part of the Preservation Plus Conference presented by Preservation Buffalo Niagara.
This is the first time in the Preserve New York program's history that three projects in one county will receive a grant award in a single year. The recipients are all cultural institutions, and the grants make up some

Buffalo Architecture Foundation, Inc. (BAF) is organizing the second 6Mbs: 6 Minutes Building Stories to be hosted at Western New York Book Arts Center (WNYBAC) on October 23, 2012 from 6:30 to 8:30 pm.  Admission is free.  6Mbs will be an informal, fun gathering featuring presentations by esteemed speakers from diverse cultural disciplines sharing profound experiences with architecture, construction, landscape and planning throughout Western New York.  Food and drinks will be available for

Every four years, some things happen like clockwork - leap year, the summer and winter Olympic games, U.S. presidential elections, and with it, 7-Eleven®'s 7-Election™ Presidential Coffee Cup Poll. 

In past years, millions of everyday Americans have participated in the 7-Election vote as they go about their daily routines. While many states offer early voting that typically begins a few days before Election Day (Tuesday, Nov. 6), the 2012 7-Election voting started really early, on Sept. 6.

Billed as unabashedly unofficial and unscientific, 7-Election invites customers to

Is this the greatest billboard in the history of Buffalo billboarding advertising?
Discuss. 
*It just so happens that ESPN is in town today and will be spending some time at the Hotel @ The Lafayette. One of the things that they will be doing while here is learning about all of the new Buffalo developments, including exploring places downtown and the waterfront. 
On Friday (today) ESPN will be attending a cocktail

Congressman Brian Higgins is again asking the New York State Department of Transportation (NYSDOT) to put the brakes on long-term maintenance of the Buffalo Skyway while alternatives are reviewed. Specifically, Higgins is requesting the DOT refrain from including expensive Skyway rehab on the State's Transportation Improvement Program (STIP) projects list.  
Spending more than $100 million to rebuild the Buffalo Skyway over the next twenty years would be a transportation and

Over the past three years, the Inner Harbor, Buffalo River and Outer Harbor have seen a steady transformation from underutilized land into regional waterfront assets that have drawn hundreds of thousands of people and hundreds of millions in public and private investment. Join the Urban Land Institute of WNY on Monday October 1st as they sit down for lunch at Lagerhaus 95 (95 Perry Street) with Tom Dee, President of the Erie Canal Harbor Development Corporation (ECHDC), to receive firsthand insight into

The Transplant Miracles Foundation is inviting the community to attend their Evening on the Canal, in support of organ and tissue donations. This year's event will take place September 27th from 5:30pm- 8pm at West Side Rowing Club and Frank Lloyd Wright Boathouse.
Tickets are $35 per person or $60 per family and include food, drinks, raffles, games, music and fun for the whole family. Proceeds from the event support organ transplant and surgical research, the treatment and care of transplant recipients and to promote organ donation. 
Now

The Buffalo Zoo held a groundbreaking ceremony for its new entry plaza yesterday.  Many local dignitaries were in attendance as the Zoo's President and CEO, Donna Fernandes discussed plans for the new entrance as well as a future Arctic Edge exhibit.
The Zoo's existing 75-year-old brick barn adjacent to the parking lot will be completely renovated to become the New Entry Complex. It will serve as a gathering space for visitors as they embark on their Zoo adventure. A series of sculptural elements, including a large fountain within a giant globe and an interactive

This weekend, Franklin Graham will come to Coca-cola field with a roster of musicians to "Rock the Lakes."  Many of my friends and colleagues are promoting the event and attending.  I wish them well, but I will not be there.  
The first reason I will not attend is the things Mr. Graham has said away from events like this.  At the event, Graham will tell people about Jesus, and invite people to consider

Attendees at the Preservation Plus conference next week will be able to tour the H. H. Richardson Complex and learn how the Richardson Center Corporation is stabilizing and preparing the complex and grounds for reuse.  Reactivating the Past: Sustainable Preservation at the Richardson Olmsted Complex will be presented by Barbara A. Campagna, FAIA, Principal of Barbara A. Campagna/Architecture + Planning and Monica Pellegrino Faix, Executive Director of the Richardson Center Corporation.
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Imagine a presidential election season beginning with a series of hotly-contested primaries, followed by an intense debate over the role and responsibilities of the federal government.  Modern audiences might be interested to know that's exactly what happened one hundred years ago.  It was 1912, and former President Theodore Roosevelt came out of retirement to challenge incumbent William Howard Taft for the keys to the White House.  Not only did he run against Taft, Roosevelt split from the ranks of the Republicans to form a new political party.
Roosevelt's

The Urban Habitat Project (UHP) located on the grounds of the Buffalo Central Terminal is less than a year old but has already exceeded designers' expectations.  The UHP was created to demonstrate: biodiversity, native regional habitats, soil remediation, several plant communities, ecosytems that benefit birds, bees, various beneficial insects and an array of resident mammals that exist near the site.  
The UHP is a working habitat.  A large grove of pine trees, hawthorns, native shrubs, and vast meadows

Preservation Buffalo Niagara (PBN) announces Preservation Plus, a week long conference focused at fostering a greater understanding and appreciation for Western New York's historic built environment, taking place on September 24-28.  Many of the events begin at 5 PM, ideal for those that have to work during the day.
Preservation